Like Father, Like Son
by karategirl7
Summary: Phil Brooks' thoughts wander back to his alcohol addicted father. He dreams that he will become an addict. Phil struggles with his vivid nightmares and flashbacks and tries fighting his depression- but he can't do it alone. CM Punk/Maria :::CHAPTER 7 UPDATED:::
1. Chapter 1

_~karategirl7_

Laughter was all that could be heard as Phil started drinking his first ice cold beer.

"_Just like Daddy, aren't you, son?" _ chuckled his father.

All Phil did was glare at him with red, puffy eyes. His father continued to cackle as the rain started to fall down in sheets. Faster and faster it fell, until…

_He woke up._

"Just a dream," he muttered, sweating.

Phil sat up on his bed and decided to head to the bathroom. All he could do was stare at himself in the mirror when he had flipped the lights on. The young, wrinkle-free face he once had was gone. Now he had bags under his eyes and frown lines. He let out a deep sigh before washing his face in cold water. After he brushed his teeth, he hopped into the shower. The water felt soothing as it hit his skin. For that moment, it seemed as if all his problems went down the drain…

He made a quick trip to the gym before the show later on that night. To him, working out was a stress reliever. His problems at work and at home constantly made him depressed. He felt as if he couldn't be truly happy anymore. He was always alone~ the one thing he was afraid of when he was young. At that time he actually had many friends. What happened to them? Well, they were all left behind because he wanted to follow his dreams and become a wrestler.

His alarm on his cell phone went off; interrupting his thoughts. It was time to grab some food. He went down to the restaurant he once worked at when he was a teen.

"Philly, dear!" cried an old waitress as she smothered him with a hug.

"Hey Jen," he replied with a grin.

"So you finally decided to drop by, huh?"

"Yeah, I felt homesick," he said as he looked onto some of the memorable pictures hanging on the walls. _"It's been a little too long," he thought. _


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

There were many fond memories that were made in this very own diner that CM was reminiscing in. As he looked over to one of the booths, he flashbacked to when he and his buddies chattered away after getting their first tattoos. He remembered how young and rebellious he felt, and pursed his lips together. Jen interrupted his flashback, continuing to prod him with questions.

"So…what's new? How's the job treating you?"

"Eh…it's alright, the same old stuff. I'm not nearly getting enough airtime as that buffoon, John Cena, and McMahon's avoiding my calls as usual…but what can I do?"

"Have you tried scheduling an appointment with him?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't necessarily hear me out. He just goes on and on about how John is the face of the WWE and is kid-friendly at the same time. Gah. That guy is so unreasonable," he trailed off.

"All I have to say is be the best you can be. If McMahon doesn't see it, the fans truly will," Jen encouraged him. I think you're the best at what you do, and Shawn and Timmy think so too."

"Ah, wow. The kids have gotten into it too, huh?"

The waitress nodded her head. "Yup. Those two grandkids of mine are your biggest fans," she replied.

CM smiled and looked down at his plate. "I've really missed all you guys down here, I really have."

He looked up at Jen's face and gave a slight grin.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's been going on with you and Maria?" she asked.

CM shook his head, blushing a little. "We broke up a while ago."

"Oh, right. She left the WWE, huh?"

He nodded.

"Well I'm sorry I brought her up. I just hadn't heard about her in a while."

"It's fine; I'm over it. No regrets," he said with his convincing voice. After a moment of awkward silence, he decided to end the conversation. "I better head off to the arena now."

"Alright then, dear. It was good to see you," she said as she pulled him in for a hug.

"Yeah, of course. Tell Shawn and Timmy I said hi."

"Will do, sweetie."

Before he stepped out of the diner, CM slipped on the hood over his head and rubbed his forehead. He didn't feel well enough to drive, so he had his driver, Francis, give him a ride. He tried to relax in the backseat, but his thoughts flooded back to harsh memories.

"Enough," he muttered underneath his breath.

He quickly grabbed his iPod and hit shuffle. He closed his eyes and focused on the lyrics, the rhythm, and the instruments that played. He clenched his jaws when he heard the artist yell the beginning of the chorus:

Livin' in a world so cold, wasting away

Livin' in a shell with no soul

Since you've gone away

Livin' in a world so cold

Counting the days

Since you've gone away

Something struck him when he heard that last line, and suddenly, her face invaded his mind. She was beautiful. The picture of her seemed so clear, as if he was looking at her face to face. Immediately, a wave of sadness fell upon him. She was gone. Maria had left the WWE about two years ago. Unfortunately, he didn't do much to contact her, especially since things got awkward after their breakup. Maria left to pursue a music career, and he never heard of her since then. He let out a deep sigh. Was it possible that he, CM Punk, had regret? He was on the verge of being honest to himself, realizing that he regretted ending their relationship-

CM shook his head from side to side, trying to erase any thoughts that involved his former love, Maria Kanellis. In doing so, he shook off his earpieces. To his surprise, he noticed that he had finally reached the arena. "Thank God," he blurted, realizing he had to put petty thoughts aside and completely focus on the show. He headed to his dressing room, but was stopped in his tracks when he heard a faint skipping in the background.

"Just my luck," CM breathed.

"Luck? I thought you didn't believe in luck, Punk?" questioned the crazy RAW General Manager.

"Did you lose something, AJ? You know, like your mind?" he snorted.

"Hmm…no, I don't think so," said AJ. "But you might lose yours tonight."

"What are you talking about?"

"You will be in a match against the Big Red Monster Kane," she stated flatly.

CM Punk rolled his eyes and let out a sigh.

"And…it's a No DQ match," she added with a soulless smirk.

"Thanks, thanks a lot," he said sarcastically.

"You're welcome!" replied AJ, as she jerked her head to the side before skipping away.

CM Punk dropped his gym bags onto the ground and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Great. Just great. This was exactly what I needed," he thought.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

CM was in his dressing room, getting ready for his big match with Kane. He didn't want to admit it, but he was nervous. He hadn't exactly been one on one with Kane for a while. To top it all off, it was a No DQ match, which meant Daniel Bryan would interfere.

_Look in my eyes, what do you see? _His music rocked the arena as he made his way down the ramp. CM entered the ring and climbed up on top of the ropes. He stood there, glaring out into the crowd, taking in all the jeers he received. Suddenly, Kane's theme played and pyro shot out of all the corners of the ring. CM hopped off the ropes, trying to cover his face. Kane threw his head back, chuckling. CM glared at his opponent, causing him to stop laughing. The referee took both of their championship titles and the bell was rung to start the match off.

Kane stood ever so still as CM hopped around him, trying to think of a way to start it off. As CM came towards him, Kane pushed him down to the mat. As CM got up, he quickly began to chop the big man's legs down with consecutive kicks. He was successful, so he clothes lined Kane. CM bounced against the ropes and leg dropped the monster- causing him to sit up. CM applied the sleeper's hold on him. As Kane got up, he lifted CM and sidewalk slammed him. Kane got out of the ring and looked underneath it for a chair. When he found one, he slammed it against the ring apron twice. After hearing the sound, CM jumped up and looked at Kane with crazed eyes. Daniel Bryan came out from the back and tried to catch Punk. CM was being chased by both Kane and Daniel around the ring. To make matters worse, Ryback jumped out from the audience. Punk was stuck between a rock and a hard place. As he was continuing to be chased, Kane took wild swings at him. He missed badly, and ended up hitting Ryback on the back of the head instead. Daniel Bryan ran away, afraid of the ever-so-hungry wrestler. Ryback went after Kane and shell-shocked him outside the ring. CM hopped off the top turnbuckle and missile-dropkicked Ryback. He decided to take advantage of the damage that Kane had received, and dragged him into the ring. Without any delay, CM pinned Kane for the win. He snatched his title from the ref and slid out of the ring and into the back when he saw Ryback snarling at him.

When CM reached his dressing room, he plopped on his couch- still clutching his title. Paul Heyman walked into his room.

"Did you see that?!" he yelled at his manager and good friend.

"I most certainly did," Paul replied.

"What was that?" CM went on, spewing rhetorical question after another. "No respect," he stated flatly, answering his own question. "If Cena was champ, he most definitely wouldn't have been ambushed like me."

"Calm down, calm down, Punk," Heyman said, attempting to console him.

Paul Heyman was just one of the many people who knew how easily annoyed CM would get. Immediately, there was a knock on the door. Heyman opened it to find the RAW GM, AJ Lee.

"Punk," she began.

"What? What do you want?" questioned CM condescendingly as he stood up right in front of her.

"Mr. McMahon wanted me to tell you that…" she said nervously. "…that you are going to be in a tag match against Kane and Daniel Bryan next Monday."

"Who's his tag team partner?" Heyman asked.

"Ryback," she answered with a twisted smile on her face before she skipped away.

All Punk could do was stare at his title longingly. He knew that they would do anything in their power to take his title away.

"It's not fair," though CM as he entered the gym. He let his frustration out by jib-jabbing and kicking the air a couple times. "Not fair at all." He made his way to the only treadmill that remained open.

"Called it," said a muscular man in a gray hoodie.

"Hey, come on, man. You didn't want it until I walked over," Punk stated.

The man turned back to look at Punk face to face.

"Oh, you know what? Go on ahead," the man said. "It's all yours."

"Thank you," CM replied.

"By the looks of it, you need it more than I do," the man snorted under his breath.

Before he could let out a snicker, Punk clocked him in the back of the head.

"You callin' me fat? Please, I hear that all the time. At least I don't use steroids," Punk retorted.

The man hopped right up in Punk's face and shoved him.

"You wanna go? You wanna go, little man?"

"Mike, no! Stop it right now!" ordered a slim young woman with red curls.

CM looked up at the woman and realized her instantly. Distracted, he didn't notice how Mike had went to strike him in the face. Punk fell to the floor from the impact.

"Ria," he breathed, causing the woman to glance over at him.

"What a loser," Mike blurted. "Let's go," he said, grabbing Maria's hand.

"Punker," she whispered under her breath as she walked off with Mike.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Knock Knock-Knock-Knock-Knock Knock Knock

Heyman was at his door, but CM didn't want to open it. He was lying on his stomach staring –just staring- at the picture of himself and Maria that he had saved on his cell phone.

_Why on earth did I let you go? _

He tried to remember the pathetic reason he had for breaking up with her, but he couldn't. He just couldn't. It seemed he had erased that from his memory. It was one of the hardest break-ups he had to ever go through. CM let out a heavy sigh.

"Punk! Come on, let me in! What's bothering you? We can talk about it," Paul attempted to convince him.

Ten seconds later, Punk had unlocked his dressing room door. Paul sadly looked at the WWE Champion as he rested his head on the door. Without a word, Heyman lightly pushed himself into the room.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Heyman asked, parent-like.

CM looked at him with wide eyes and showed Paul the picture on his cell phone.

"Ahh…" he nodded understandingly. "So what exactly is the problem?"

"I saw her the other day at the gym. She was with a steroid-pumping freak, too. This was the first time I saw her after she left," he explained.

"Oh, yes. Well, I can understand how difficult that must have been for you."

"I just… every time I think about her, I feel like a fool."

Heyman pursed his lips. He didn't know what to say.

"You know what? Cancel all my plans tonight. I'm gonna take a nice long nap," said CM.

"Alright then, I guess I'll see you later," Heyman replied, leaving as quickly as he could.

Punk grabbed a fuzzy blanket and laid down on the couch. His thoughts drifted to Maria. He remembered all the good that came out of their relationship. Out of all the women he dated, Maria was the only one who had made a real impression on him. She was the one who supported him while his own family had literally pushed him away.

His father was the biggest alcoholic he had ever seen. He had gone from bad to worse, and his mother wasn't very supportive, either. She was just as addicted to drugs as her husband was addicted to alcohol. Growing up, CM never felt an emotional attachment to his parents. His own brother had deceived him, had run off with money, and was never heard from again. CM didn't care to hear from him anyway. Even if they had tried to reconcile, his brother would've just tried to make money off of him. His two younger sisters almost fell prey to their parents' vices, but they were much stronger. They helped him to stand strong and stay straightedge.

He came from a broken family to say the least. Maria was the only person that he could rely on. Around her, he could be himself. She had accepted and respected him for who he was.

~~Seconds turned into minutes~~

~~Minutes turned into hours~~

"_I'm never going back. I'm never going back," breathed CM. _

"_Well, guess what? You came back, and now, you're never leaving," slurred his father sinisterly. _

_Fear struck CM when he realized he was holding a bottle of whiskey in his right hand. _

"_No…" he whispered, before throwing the bottle to the ground. _

"_This is who you are. This is who you were always meant to be," stated the drunkard, handing him a mirror. _

_CM looked into the mirror to find the reflection of his father. He touched his face, and the reflection did the same. He yelled maniacally and punched the mirror. Blood flowed from his hand and pieces of glass were stuck in his skin. _

"_No one can save you now," stated his father darkly as he disappeared. _

_Just then, CM began coughing. He coughed uncontrollably, gasping for air. He felt as if he was being choked. _

CM woke up in a sweat. He had tossed and turned on the couch, so his blanket was around his neck, choking him. He threw the blanket away and went to the bathroom to wash his face. CM didn't think he could feel any worse, but he was wrong. This was the second nightmare he recently had dreamt of about his father. He stared at himself in the mirror and stroked his face. His puzzled look had formed into a smile.

He knew what he had to do.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

CM walked out of his dressing room and began his search for a particular diva. Unfortunately, AJ Lee had bumped right into him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Punk," she apologized quietly.

"It's okay…" he trailed, moving away from her.

"Are you looking for someone?" she asked, batting her eyelashes.

"Yeah, I'm looking for Eve. Do you know where she is?" he asked.

"Eve, huh? I didn't know you were into her," AJ said sadly.

"I'm not," he snapped. "Just tell me where she is."

"Down the hall, make a left, second door to your right."

"Thanks," he blurted before running off.

When he made it to Eve's dressing room, he banged on the door.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"Your jiu-jitsu buddy," he replied.

Eve opened the door right away.

What can I do for ya?"

Without a word, CM pushed himself through the door and slammed it shut.

"Do you have Maria's number?" he asked.

"Um, yeah, but… I don't think she wants to talk to you."

"What makes you say that?"

"She gave me her new number and told me not to give it to you."

"Just give it to me. If anything, she'll be upset at me, not you," said CM.

"Okay, if you say so."

She wrote down Maria's number and handed it to Punk.

"Thaaank you."

He gave Eve a quick hug and went for the door.

"Weirdo," Eve said, rolling her eyes.

"I heard that!" he exclaimed, causing her to giggle.

When he reached his room, he pulled out his cell phone from his bag and began dialing the number.

_Ring…Ring…Ring…_

A smile crept over his face when he heard her lovely voice –MAIL.

_Hey, this is 'Ria. I can't come to the phone right now, so leave me a message after the beep. _

_-Beep-_

His mouth flew open, but no words came out. He quickly ended the call. After blankly staring at his cell, he decided he might as well try again. He had much more courage when he had hit redial. Once again, he heard the phone ring. This time, someone picked up. He didn't hear a voicemail.

"Hello?" a young woman answered.

"'Ria?" CM replied.

"Phil."

By the sound of her voice, he could tell she was smiling.

"First of all, I just want to say I'm sorry. I apologize for everything. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you. You knew how hard it was for me, especially since you were on RAW while I was on ECW…"

"I'm sorry too, Phil. I wasn't being very understanding, but it's all behind us."

"Yeah, it is," he agreed.

They both remained awkwardly silent for a minute, until CM broke the silence.

"Is there… is there any way I can see you?" he asked nervously.

She remained quiet for a second, but replied affirmatively.

"Sure, of course. Eve, Rener, and I were going to meet up tomorrow night. It would be cool if you could join us."

"Alright, I'll see you there," said CM.

"Sounds good," she giggled.

After saying their goodbyes, they ended the call. CM could feel his face burning and he knew he had flushed bright red like a tomato.

"Sounds great," he said to himself, snorting a little.

At Maria's hotel room:

Maria ran her fingers through her hair. Just thinking about him made her heart flutter.

"Maria!" called a very masculine voice, breaking her thoughts.

"Mike! I'm over here!"

When he stumbled into the room, he gave her a warm smile as well as a hug.

"Hey you," he whispered, kissing her on the cheek.

"Miss me much?" she asked.

"You know I did. It wasn't the same going to the gym without you."

"Aw, how sweet."

"You ready for the show tonight?" he asked.

"Ready as ever."

"Okay. I'll be right back,"

She smiled as he walked off into the bathroom. Maria sat on her bed and began to feel guilty. If Mike found out about her plans with CM, he would've been enraged to say the least. He would make a big deal of it, as he did with everything. Phil was just a friend… right? Right. But, if he was just a friend, why did she have to convince herself of that?


	6. Chapter 6

There was something up with CM Punk. Everyone could tell: the WWE Universe, his coworkers, even a McMahon.

Stephanie eyed the straightedge superstar between sips of her Starbucks. She ignored him at first, knowing that he was usually the one to instantly make a smart remark at the sight of her. She paused, strolled right in front of him, and cleared her throat. Punk looked up from his cell phone, a slight smile still plastered over his face.

"'Sup, Steph?" he asked casually.

"_How unusual," _she thought.

"'Sup?' That's it? That's all you're gonna say to me?" she replied.

Punk looked at her puzzled, but didn't say another word. He shrugged his shoulders, and returned to his texting. Narrowing her eyes, she lowered his cell phone out of his face.

"You haven't made a joke about me or Hunter the whole day," she stated. "Something up?"

Punk pouted, shaking his head.

"He's in la-la-land," answered Heyman from behind.

Stephanie turned to Paul, brows furrowed. "As in?"

"Punker here, is in looove," he admitted, putting emphasis on the last word.

"You," Steph laughed. "Punk, CM Punk, in…" she trailed, chuckling. "**In love**? HA!"

Heyman and Punk continued to blankly stare at Vince McMahon's Princess as she bent over in laughter, snorting and almost spilling her coffee onto her designer suit. Awkwardly, she slowly backed off utterly confused.

"_But in love with whom? Who could love CM Punk?" _she thought briskly walking to her office.

* * *

><p>"<em>Almost time," <em>Punk thought.

To say the least, he was excited. Just thinking about seeing her once again brought a flush to his otherwise pale cheeks. She hadn't changed one bit. Or if anything, she had become even more beautiful than when he had last seen her.

Maria had left the WWE on a good note. She had received a recording contract, and gained popularity across the world. She was currently under contract with TNA, the WWE's greatest competition. Punk thought back to the incident at the gym. Who was that meat head with her anyway? CM rolled his eyes.

_Is she dating him?_

_No way. She couldn't. _

Mike was so unlike any guy she had interest in. He was proud, selfish, and arrogant.

_So am I. _

He sighed. Hoping for the first time in a long time, that he wasn't right about this. Something burned within his chest. He needed her. He needed her in a way that he had never realized before. Everyone in this world wants to be loved and accepted by others. But if he could be loved and accepted only by Maria…

That would be more than enough.

**_Ring. _**

His phone rang, alerting him of a text.

"_Ready?" _Maria had texted.

"_For you? Always," _he replied, hitting send.

He took deep breaths, combed through his hair, and put on the sweatshirt that Maria had bought him for a birthday gift a couple years ago. Punk shuffled to the front of the arena to find a black limo. The heavily tinted windows threw him off for a couple seconds. He was about to text Maria instead of blindly entering the unknown limo. Before he could do so, the door opened. Punk glanced from under his eyelashes, and lo and behold- there she was.

"Hey," she breathed, smiling from ear to ear.

Punk felt dumbstruck. Before he could muster a word, he quickly entered the vehicle. As he closed the door, he felt obliged to say something.

"You look beautiful," he said softly, staring into her eyes.

She didn't say another word, but shyly grinned.

_Tonight is going to be something._


	7. Chapter 7

The ride to the restaurant was anything but awkward. Punk and Maria had picked up right where they had left off. Occasionally, Eve and Rener would glance over at them- watching them reconnect was interesting to watch. Punk, known for the permanently etched frown on his face, was smiling -_actually smiling- _showing off his coffee stained teeth.Maria would every now and then hide her face from giggling too hard at Punk's witty banter. Eve and Rener kept quiet- not wanting to interrupt the beautiful reunion that was taking place in front of them.

When they had arrived, Punk outstretched his arm and bent over exaggeratingly, causing Maria to laugh.

"M'lady," he said in an accent, smiling at her with wide eyes.

Maria gladly took his hand and stepped out of the vehicle, nearly tumbling right into Punk.

"Sorry," she said, glancing at the pavement.

"Don't be," he breathed, helping her regain her balance.

The four of them entered the petite restaurant, and were directed to their quiet booth reservation. Even though their friends were present, it seemed as if Punk and Maria were alone. Occasionally their conversations would crossover throughout the night, but for the most part, it was apparent to everyone that it was Punk and Maria's reunion.

"I'm sorry about the other night at the gym, by the way," Maria stated, tucking a stray hair behind her left ear. "Mike can be…" she trailed, struggling to describe him.

"A jerkoff?" Punk finished for her.

"Difficult," she quickly replied. "But he shouldn't have acted that way. It was wrong, and he knew it."

"It's all right," Punk said, pursing his lips. "I understand."

"So, how have you been? How's the WWE been treating you?" Maria asked, trying to change the subject.

All CM had to do was give her a look, and she knew what he had meant.

"I don't know where to begin," Punk breathed. "First they get in between our relationship, and then they underestimate my wrestling abilities."

"Punker," she began, staring at the table as their waiter brought them their drinks.

"For you, miss, from the gentleman over there," he gestured to a young man with a scruffy beard at the bar.

"Oh," she said, glancing at the man, who had then flashed her a pearly white smile.

She raised the glass, and took a small sip. Meanwhile, CM Punk looked away in dismay.

"I'm guessing you haven't given up," he mumbled, pointing to the drink.

Maria's face turned light pink, and she tried to find the words.

"Yes, Punk, I drink. Can we not talk about this right now? Here we are meeting for the first time in a while, and you're criticizing me for having a drink."

"Hey, hey," Eve interjected. "Calm down," she said, touching Maria's arm. "Nothing to get worked up about."

"Maybe we should get going," Rener added. "They're about to close in fifteen minutes."

"Maybe we should," Punk agreed, not taking his eyes off of Maria. "I was stupid to think that I could talk to you about…" he trailed. "How could I? You remind me him," he muttered, speaking to himself.

Maria furrowed her brows, confused at what he was alluding to. A commotion from the bar caused the four friends to stand up from their seats.

"What's going on?" Eve questioned.

A fight had erupted, and a group of men were attempting to separate the two who had started the fight. One of the men bellowed loudly a few times.

"'RIA!" he shouted, breaking free from the crowd, and heading to their booth.

The man immediately burst into laughter.

"Oh I see how it is. Sneaking out with this guy behind my back, right?!" he yelled.

"Mike," she whispered shrinking back into the booth.

Punk and Rener stood in front of the ladies, bracing themselves for the worst.

Mike threw a fit, pushing silverware and ceramic plates off of other tables. He was about to grab a hold of Punk's shirt after staring him down, when several policemen surrounded him. He opened his mouth to utter another complaint, but he was immediately tasered and fell flat to the floor. The police dragged him out of the restaurant, and pushed him into a cop car. The restaurant was abuzz with quiet mumbling about what had just happened.

Punk turned around to find Maria silently sobbing, her mascara running down her cheeks as well. Eve tried to comfort her, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. They headed back to the limo in silence. No one dared say a word about what had just occurred. Minutes passed, as the limo slowly made its way to the hotel that Maria was staying at.

She took a deep breath, wiped her face of tear stains and stretched her hand for the door.

"Wait," Punk said, holding her arm. "Grab your things. You're staying with me tonight."

Maria looked back at him with her hurt eyes and mustered a weak grin, as if she was suddenly filled with a bit of hope.

_It's going to be all right. _


End file.
